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Goldman Environmental Prize Winners Offer a Spark of Inspiration

Six eco leaders from around the world receive a cash prize and international recognition for their accomplishments

Environmental activism — like any other attempt at social change — is a slog. Victories are often tempered by setbacks and even the most clear cut wins can seem provisional. As David Brower, the founder of Earth Island Journal, famously said, speaking about how environmental defense is a constant struggle: “All of our victories are temporary, and all of our defeats are permanent.” The effort for sustainability will always be a work in progress.

It’s essential, then, that we take time to step back and recognize environmental victories when they come. It’s a matter of sanity, if nothing else.

By identifying and celebrating some of the most courageous environmental activists around the world, the Goldman Environmental Prize delivers a much-needed jolt of inspiration. Yes, Earth is beleaguered. But, even more important, there are people who are dedicating their lives to ensuring that we leave the planet as healthy as we found it.

Now in its twenty-fourth year, the Goldman Environmental Prize is sometimes called the Nobel Prize for the environmental movement. Winners — who come from every continent as well as island states — receive a $150,000 cash prize and the kind of international attention that offers a huge boost to local campaigns. Past winners include Wangari Maathai, founder of Africa’s Green Belt Movement, anti-mountaintop removal coal mining activist Judy Bonds, and Nigerian Ken Saro-Wiwa, among many others.

The 2013 prizewinners were announced Monday morning. From the Goldman Prize’s press release about this year’s recipients:

JONATHAN DEAL, South AfricaWith no prior experience in grassroots organizing, Jonathan Deal led a successful campaign against fracking in South Africa to protect the Karoo, a semi-desert region treasured for its agriculture, beauty and wildlife.

AZZAM ALWASH, IraqGiving up a comfortable living and family life in California, Azzam Alwash returned to war-torn Iraq to lead local communities in restoring the once-lush marshes that were turned to dustbowls during Saddam Hussein's rule.

ROSSANO ERCOLINI, ItalyAn elementary school teacher, Rossano Ercolini began a public education campaign about the dangers of incinerators in his small Tuscan town that grew into a national Zero Waste movement.

ALETA BAUN, Indonesia By organizing hundreds of local villagers to peacefully occupy marble mining sites in "weaving protests," Aleta Baun stopped the destruction of sacred forestland in Mutins Mountain on the island of Timor.

KIMBERLY WASSERMAN, USAKimberly Wasserman led local residents in a successful campaign to shut down two of the country's oldest and dirtiest power plants--and is now transforming Chicago's old industrial sites into parks and multi-use spaces.

NOHRA PADILLA, ColombiaUnfazed by powerful political opponents and a pervasive culture of violence, Nohra Padilla organized Colombia's marginalized waste pickers to make recycling a legitimate part of waste management.

Jason MarkJason Mark is the Editor in Chief of SIERRA, the national magazine of the Sierra Club, and the author of Satellites in the High Country: Searching for the Wild in the Age of Man. From 2007 to 2015 he was the Editor of Earth Island Journal.

Comments

Wonderful and encouraging news. Not only the winners accomplishments but the prize itself. I hope these winners fair better than I did when I won even a minor prize for my environmental work. I was treated like a whistleblower and stripped of all duties. To overcome this insult, I started writting environmental books, including a second edition. My third book was published this year and I have a fourth in the works.